Laughter is the Best Medicine

I came across this throwback piece of writing recently and am sharing it with my daughter’s permission. We laughed so hard at the memory of this moment. Let’s be honest…the last few months have presented no shortage of challenges. But almost every night my daughter includes a simple phrase in her prayer- Thank You, Lord, for what I’ve been able to do today. Some of those days didn’t even involve leaving the house. She inspires me every day, and I am humbled and blessed that God chose me to be her mom.

Gratitude trumps grumbling. Laughter is the best medicine.

July. Burning hot lava days. My daughter and I grabbed our swim bag, made sure we had our snack shack change, and jammed across the street to the pool. It was a grand day of merriment. We sat on our pool noodles and paddled across the pool like sea horses. She climbed to the top of the slide and did a myriad of tricks on the way down for what must have been ten times in a row.

I found myself in the lull of a pool day as I quietly visited with another parent in the shallow end. My daughter swam over, grabbed my arm, and announced quietly but with great fervor that she needed to poop. I politely excused myself, as politely as you can excuse yourself in such a situation, and we headed to the bathroom.

I’m not a fan of pool bathrooms. I’m just not a fan of standing water of any kind in a bathroom. However, this small cinder block clad bathroom serves its purpose. If you’ve met my daughter, you know that she can at times have moments of an expressive tongue. This particular moment was a gem. She made an uncannily loud grunting sound that resonated within the walls of the bathroom and wafted outside carried by the summer wind throughout the confines of the entire pool area. This was followed by a loud proclamation, ‘Perfecccccctt!’ What do you do in this moment? I struggled between absolute hysterical laughter and complete mortification. We finished up and headed back to the pool to continue our adventurous afternoon.

Laughter refreshes our spirit. It shifts our focus to joy.

It’s extraordinarily easy to find ourselves caught in the grind of each day’s list of things that must be accomplished. Or else. Will the earth’s axis shift if we miss a check mark or ten? May we find balance and relish in those precious, at times hilarious, moments that come our way.

Proverbs 17:22 (ICB), “A happy heart is like good medicine. But a broken spirit drains your strength.”